Sad-iron.



PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

W. B. SHERMAN.

SAD IRON.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1904.

INVENTDR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAD-IRON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed July 13, 1904. Serial No. 216,381.

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sad-Irons, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in sad-irons and of the type or class of sad-irons which are self-heating and provided with reversible smoothing-faces; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, all as more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The object of the invention is to produce a self-heating sad-iron possessing a greater degee of efiiciency and utility than devices of this class heretofore employed, the device at the same time being simple and correspondingly inexpensive to manufacture.

By means of this invention the heating-surface is increased, the metal being so disposed that the outer sides or edges of the body are considerably thicker or deeper than the center walls, thereby when in use adapting the iron to retain the heat longer at the part which first engages the dampened cloth, also by reason of this arrangement-of the greater mass of metal along the outer edges the stability of the iron is materially increased. The interior construction is such that the gas-flame from the central burner-tube has a greater impinging and heating effect and is prevented from passing out or escaping too freely from the open sides of the ironthat is to say, a practically minimum amount of flame or gas will transmit its maximum of heat and be retained or absorbed in the walls of the body, thereby increasing the economy and efficiency of the apparatus. The latter is also provided with a novel locking device movable with the swinging handle and when in use operates to maintain the iron or body rigidly in position, or, in other words, the end walls of the body have outer beveled transverse ribs, the lower one of which when in use is engaged by a pivoted lever of the locking device, the arrangement of the parts being such that any material wear of the lever is counteracted by the beveled portion'of the rib engaging therewith.

My improved sad-iron may be readily converted into a heater or gas-stove and employed in culinary operations. This result is attained by simply placing the iron on its side or edgewise, the open faces then lying in horizontal planes or flatwise and turning the burner-tube axially ninety degrees, thereby temporarily placing the burner-orifices opposite the open side instead of being opposite the solid walls.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, in partial section, of a sad-iron embodying my improvements, the parts being represented in the normal operative position. Fig. 2 is a rear end View, in partial section, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa transverse section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal central sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view taken through the rear end portion of the sadiron corresponding with. Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are drawn in enlarged scale, and Fig. 6 is apartial side view showing the relation of the parts when the sad-iron is utilized as a gas-stove.

In my improved sad-iron A the body portion B, consisting of the upper and lower oppositely-disposed smoothing members 6 Z), is provided with adjustable screw-threaded end trunnions e e, on which swing the front and rear handle-arms a a, respectively. Each of the inner faces or walls of said body members 6 I) is provided with a plurality of curved transversely arranged parallel thin ribs 0, alternating with correspondingly shaped grooves 0'. (See Figs. 3 and 4E.) The bottom o of the grooves is described with a much longer radius than the curvature of the faces 0 0 of the ribs, thereby correspondingly enlarging the area of the combustion-chamber. (See Fig. 3.) The ribs and grooves extend transversely across to the vertical faces of the iron and form continuously-open passages or throats s in direct communication with the combustion-chamber. By means of this construction it will be seen that the four longitudinal outer edge portions w of the body contain much more material than the center portions, thereby providing the body with greater heating capacity and efiiciency. The said handle-arms extend upwardly and are rigidly secured together in any suitable manner, a

wooden handle, as h, being interposed between and connecting them. A bent heat deflector or guard g of suitable material is also secured to the swinging handle and extends upwardly above it, as shown at g, to further protect the hand of the operator.

The burner-tube d is freely introduced at the center of the rear end of the body B. The

same extends longitudinally through the corresponding trunnion and into the front trunnion. The burner-tube is as drawn provided with a pair of narrow transverse slits or cuts d, located opposite or contiguous to each of the ribs 0. The outer or rear end portion of the tube is bent at an angle and secured to a suitable fitting, as E, provided with a mixingchamber for gas and air. It may also be provided with a gas cock or key f and gas-inlet nozzle f, the latter being adapted to connect with any suitable flexible tube if, communicating with the gas-supply.

The center hub of the rear arm a is provided with a rearwardly-extending integral quadrant or flange a having peripheral holes therein to receive pins 19 of a spring member or connection 9, secured to the fitting E. (See Fig. 5, &c.) It will be seen that as thus con-- structed the burner-tube and its connections are maintained in the normally locked position with respect to the handle and are adapted to move axially with it when the latter is swung on its trunnions. The tube may, however, be readily withdrawn endwise from the iron by simply lifting the member 1) a short distance to disengage its pins from the quadrant-holes of the flange a.

The handle is locked to the iron-bodyB by means of the upwardly extending springpressed lever m, pivoted to the arm a at n, the pivot being located above the trunnion.

The lower portion m of said lever is yokeshaped, (see Fig. 2,) its sides being united at the bottom by the transverse tie m and having its under side arranged to frictionally engage the beveled end flanges of the iron. (See Figs. 1 and 5.)

In my improved self-heating sad-iron A the normal relation of the parts when in use is substantially as represented in Fig. 1, the slitted orifices (Z of the burner-tube being uppermost, so that the previously-mixed inflowing gas and air when ignited impinges against the top and sides of the corresponding ribs 0 and is deflected into the curved grooves, thereby thoroughly heating the then upper member b of the body B, it being assumed that the other member 6 is already heated, the waste gases or products of combustion freely escaping through the side openings 8. Now in order to reverse the smoothing-faces of the iron the operator simply turns the sad-iron ninety degrees on its side or edgewise, after which he presses the locking-lever m inwardly in the arrow direction, thereby releasing the lower part of from the member I), at which instant he swings the handle, &c., around on the trunnions one hundred and eighty degrees, followed by releasing the lever, which then automatically springs against the rib or flange b of the other member 6, said movement also extent, its orifices then being adjacent to and facing the last used or cooled member of the body. The operator now turns the sad-iron bodily ninety degrees, thereby placing the last-heated surface in position for use. I would add that the operation just described is easily and quickly effected, the time consumed being, in fact, but a few seconds. It is obvious that the flow of gas may be readily controlled by the convenient cook or key f.

In order to convert my improved sad-iron into a gas-stove or heater, the body is placed on its side, one of the vent-openingss then being at the top that is, in a vertical instead ofahorizontal plane. At the same time the operator releases the free end of the spring member p from the flange a and swings the burner-tube axially ninety degrees. The member p is then permitted to spring into place, thus holding the tube in itsnew position, the handle meanwhile lying horizontally. As thus adjusted or positioned the burner-orifices d will lie directly under or facing the then upper opening 8, so that the heat from the burning gas may be more efficiently utilized for heating the contents of a vessel D or other article resting upon the upper edge of the iron, the heat being applied directly to the vessel instead of being transmitted through the iron, as before stated and as represented in Fig. '6.

While the drawings substantially represent my present invention, 1' do not desire to limit or confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of the parts thus shown and herein described, as minor changes or modifications may be made therein without departing from the spiritof the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is

1. In a reversible self-heating sad-iron, having a hollow or chambered body provided with end trunnions, a plurality of transversely-arranged interior ribs and grooves and open side passages communicating with said chamber, the upper and lower walls of said body being considerably thicker along the outer edges than at the center, the combination therewithof a burner-tube removably mounted in said body, a swinging handle mounted on said ,trunnions and means coacting with said handle and body members for locking them together in the normal operative position.

2. A self-heating sad-iron having its body portion hollow and provided interiorly along its upper and lower sides or walls with a plurality of oppositely-disposed transverse ribs and grooves, c, 0, respectively, alternating with one another, the form of said ribs being curved thereby producing an enlarged central combustion-chamber longitudinally of the body, the disposition of the metal serving to causing the burner-tube to move axially a like 1 materially increase the weight along the four IIO corners or edges, and providedwithopen side passages s in direct communication with said combustion-chamber.

3. In a self-heating reversible sad-iron, the combination of the body B provided with a combustion-chamber therein having an ellipsoidal form cross-sectionally, its major axis lying transversely of the sad iron thereby making the metal of the working or smoothing members of the body thickest along the outer portions and materially thinner at the longitudinal center thereof, a series of interior integral ribs and alternating grooves extending transversely across said chamber and formed perpendicularly to and following the contour of the walls of the chamber, continuously-open air-passages communicating with the chamber, anda removably-seen red burnertube mounted in said body and passing through the longitudinal axis thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a reversible self-heating sad-iron, a hollow body or heating member having an end thereof provided with oppositely-disposed upper and lower outer transverse beveled flanges, a swinging handle member connected with and adapted to support said heating member, and a locking-lever pivoted to and movable with said handle having its lower portion in frictional engagement with the lower one of said flanges, substantially as described.

5. In a self-heating reversible sad-iron, the body portion B provided with side openings and having therein a combustion-chamber communicating with said openings, the walls of the chamber transversely or cross-sectionally being curved or convex and provided with correspondingly-curved integral ribs and alternating grooves, combined with a burnertube movably mounted in and removably secured to said body, whereby when in normal use the flame from the tube is directed to the upper part of the main or body member, and means for turning-said burner axially ninety degrees from its normal position and resecuring it in place, whereby the heat from the flame is then directed upwardly through the then upper side opening, substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 12th day of July, 1904:.

WILLIAM B. SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. REMINGTON, CALVIN H. BROWN. 

